Flow studies with models of vascular geometries are useful for analyzing hemodynamics in complex geometries and for development and validations of imaging methodologies. One of the more widely used imaging techniques is angiography, an invasive technique requiring that a catheter be manipulated into the carotid artery and a radio-opaque dye injected. Angiography actually causes stroke in a small group of patients. Non-invasive techniques, such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) may also be used to determine the degree of vascular stenosis. However, the results obtained with these modalities may vary widely between laboratories because of differences in both hardware and technical expertise. The result is that vascular laboratories find themselves increasingly in a situation where they have no independent validation method. Several alternative models have been proposed for the calibration of ultrasound equipment, such as restricted surgical tubing (Anthropomorphic Vascular Phantoms, Shelley Medical Imaging Technologies, Ontario, Canada), moving strings (Doppler QA Phantom System, Nuclear Associates, Carle Place, N.Y.) or vibrating plates (Doppler Sensitivity Phantom, Nuclear Associates); however, these modalities do not test the ability of the equipment to measure velocities in flow regimes comparable to those found in vivo. Accordingly, the present invention provides a series of anatomically accurate, clinically relevant stenosis phantoms, which can be transported between centers, allowing assessment of the accuracy of a given laboratory and providing a dramatic effect on the reproducibility of vascular imaging techniques.
Relevant Literature
Imbesi et al. (1998) Am J Neuroradiol 19, 761-766 describe a lost-wax procedure for making a replica of an ulcerated atherosclerotic human carotid bulb.